[Viken, Sweden] Välinge Innovation, based here, has developed a technology that uses treated recycled sawdust instead of saturated papers and wearlayers to create durable, alternative laminate floors. Removing paper from the equation, according to manufacturers, saves energy and allows for customized non-repeating visuals.

“Not using décor paper is particularly positive from an ecological perspective,” said Guido Schulte, managing director of Germany-based MeisterWerke, which licenses Välinge’s Wood Powder technology. “There are higher water and energy consumption requirements for using paper in production — which then also requires titanium oxide to protect it. Wood powder consists exclusively of natural materials.”
Traditionally, laminate floor manufacturers sandwich fiberboard cores with decorative paper and protective overlays on the top and melamine-infused balancing paper on the bottom to prevent cupping.

Wood Powder technology lets manufacturers harvest sawdust from their milling stations and combine it with natural binders, hard particles and pigment. The mixture is then scattered onto a coreboard as a joint décor/protective layer that can be customized and embossed. A thinner balancing layer of Wood Powder is applied to the underside of the coreboard.

The Wood Powder system utilizes readily available recycled waste, according to Niclas Håkansson, CEO, Välinge Innovation.
“Since the recycled wood dust is less costly than paper, our technology is very cost efficient. It replaces the paper mill and the impregnation line,” he said.

MeisterWerke converted its German laminate facility to utilize Wood Powder for the production of Nadura, a heavy commercial line that combines high-pressure laminate (HPL) coreboard and wood powder visuals. MeisterWerke exhibited Nadura at Domotex Hannover earlier this year and won both the show’s Innovation and Visitor’s Favorite awards.

“Our company is so convinced by the quality and durability of this floor we issued our first lifetime warranty,” said Schulte. “Unlike with normal laminate flooring, you can’t wear through an overlay or décor paper. Nadura’s wood powder surface is three times stronger.”
Tarkett Europe also exhibited wood powder at Domotex Hannover in a similar heavy commercial application but the company’s North American division, like other leading U.S. suppliers, said they are “monitoring” the concept in the field.

Dan Natkin, Mannington’s director of wood and laminate, said he found wood powder “intriguing.” He said he’s particularly drawn to the non-repeating pattern aspect of the technology.
Others in the U.S. think wood powder can be successfully used for stone and ceramic tile visuals but doubt its ability to match modern laminate’s high-fidelity wood visuals. Some also said it’s too expensive.

But Håkansson noted that wood powder is currently being strictly utilized in heavy commercial applications, requiring more expensive HPL boards and thicker powder coatings. The same technology, he said, could be competitively applied in lesser quantities to direct pressure laminate (DPL) for residential use.

“The calculations will always be in Powder’s favor as long as the cost for paper is higher than the energy value of mixing the dust,” said Håkansson. “For a large producer of laminate, such an investment would pay for itself in two years.”